All art forms provide that ecstasy of potential which reaches into the deepest part of us where we all yearn to express the mysteries of life. I have been deeply involved throughout life with the art forms of dance, music and poetry and now in later life visual art, through the medium of oil paint.

Uncertainty kept me away from visual art until as an empty nester of four children, I decided to try a drawing class with Dr. Annette Cohen at Great Bay Community College called, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I was indeed shocked after completing the first exercise of drawing a picture upside down. Who knew, I COULD draw! from there I explored watercolor, which is harder than it looks, and finally have fallen under the spell of oils.

I fell in love with oil the first time I opened a tube in my first class with Todd Bonita two and half years ago, where I caught a peek into the door of layers and glazing. Todd recommended taking a class with Chris Volpe to, “loosen up”. Chris’ coastal paintings evoked a deep sense of yearning in me to learn to express myself through painting the multi-faceted moods of the sea.

Having grown up coming to Rye Beach most weekends and summers, where my grandmother lived, I took its beauty for granted until I moved to Ohio and remained landlocked for 18 years. I appreciate the ocean now as never before and expression through visual art has become for me an enchanting stroll through the woods at twilight, calm and serene with a delicious morsel of apprehension which wrenches me from my comfort zone to new heights of self-discovery.

As a music teacher, I value the process of the journey and consider myself fortunate to have had such amazing teachers as Dr. Annette Cohen, Todd Bonita, Chris Volpe, Alistair Dacey and Carole Keller to guide me. Each has unlocked different doors of understanding for me and I greatly value their unique teaching styles and artistic expression. When I’m not in a class with those aforementioned, I continue to feel my way through by studying Richard Schmid’s book Alla Prima II. “Art after all is but an extension of language to the expression of sensations too subtle for words”, Robert Henri, The Art Spirit, “and I am hopelessly given over to its charms.

My Artwork

Samples of Laura’s works (click any image for slideshow).